Licania rigida
Encyclopedia
Licania rigida, Oiticica, is a species of plant
in the Chrysobalanaceae
family. It is endemic to Brazil
and Puerto Rico
. The Oiticica grows deep in floods of rivers and streams, forming long, narrow avenues to the edge of ravines or floodplains staining the dark-green color of its large and dense foliage.
The wood is white and fiber interlacing, very resistant to crushing. The leaves, extremely rigid and coriaceous, lend themselves to polishing artifacts of horn. Its value, however, in the past, Guess seeds, rich in oil (60%), suitable for paint and varnish. On average, a foot of Oiticica produces 75 kg of nuts per season, but exceptionally, examples were recorded with production of up to 1,500 kilograms.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Chrysobalanaceae
Chrysobalanaceae
Chrysobalanaceae is a family of trees, shrubs and flowering plants, consisting of 17 genera and about 460 species of leptocaul that grows in the Tropics or is subtropical and common in the Americas...
family. It is endemic to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The Oiticica grows deep in floods of rivers and streams, forming long, narrow avenues to the edge of ravines or floodplains staining the dark-green color of its large and dense foliage.
Description
Licania rigida is generally considered a tree, and can reach 15 m in height. Leaves alternate, measuring 12 cm long by 6 wide. Flowers 3 mm in diameter, yellow, arranged in spikes branches. Fruit drupaceous, fusiform or oval, from 2-7 cm. The rind of the fruit is green even when ripe but becomes dark yellow when dry.The wood is white and fiber interlacing, very resistant to crushing. The leaves, extremely rigid and coriaceous, lend themselves to polishing artifacts of horn. Its value, however, in the past, Guess seeds, rich in oil (60%), suitable for paint and varnish. On average, a foot of Oiticica produces 75 kg of nuts per season, but exceptionally, examples were recorded with production of up to 1,500 kilograms.